Due to the Christmas holiday, today's episodes of all your favorite soaps were pre-empted for various holiday programming. This pre-emption was anticipated and there will be no "lost" episodes as a result. Programming will resume on Tuesday, December 26th.
On behalf of everyone involved in Soap Central, I'd like to take the time to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy Christmas holiday. For our friends of other faiths and in other countries, we invite you share in the spirit of the holiday season as your celebrate holidays and festivals of your own.
Dan J Kroll
Founder, Soap Central
On Christmas Eve at the Brady Pub the holiday spirit is subdued as Max and Mimi are still missing. Meanwhile, in the abandoned church basement, Max and Mimi grow closer. They slow dance to Spanish Christmas music, and finally kiss. At the same time, Abby searches, alone, for her beloved Max. Her hard work pays off when she finally finds the church and frees grateful Max and Mimi. Abby senses the closeness between them and is heartbroken. Later, Abby brings Max and Mimi back to the pub. The Bradys and Bonnie rejoice. They've all been blessed by this Christmas miracle!
On their way to Clay Aiken's concert, Kayla has Steve read the Christmas story to the sick kids at the hospital. Steve is uncomfortable until he gives the story his own twist which enlightens the kids and moves Stephanie and Kayla. Later, Steve and Kayla arrive too late for Clay Aiken's concert. A plane delay keeps the singer in town and he agrees to give Kayla and Steve their own private concert.
Bo and Hope draw closer as she promises not to go away with Patrick. Moved, Bo gives Hope her birthday/anniversary gifts. At the Horton tree-trimming party, an emotional Hope hangs Zack's ornament on the tree. Everyone is blown away as selfless Hope helps Chelsea hang her ornament next to Zack's. Later, Bo and Hope tell Shawn they're proud of him for using the ill-gotten money he made from E.J. to buy gifts for the sick children at the hospital.
Lucas proposes a ski holiday to get Sami out of town while the cops nail E.J.
Nick and Chelsea spend Christmas Eve together. We see Nick is a very good influence on her, but Chelsea is still smitten with her anonymous internet buddy. She tells Nick to do some digging and ID the guy. Stuck, he promises to get to work after the holidays.
Roman and Bo prepare for the meeting with E.J. where they think he's expecting to meet Sami. Bo is wired so that Roman can hear and record E.J.'s confession. John and Marlena are there to offer moral support. Meanwhile, Patrick finds Hope alone at the pub and tells her they're leaving on their long-awaited weekend together -- right now. Hope says she's not going and tells Patrick the cops are closing in on E.J. Hope wants Patrick to turn himself in, but he won't. And when Hope refuses to go away with him, he pulls a gun on her. He then calls Chelsea; he wants her to tell Bo she saw Patrick and Hope leaving town together. Meanwhile, Bo goes off to find Hope, and John agrees to take his place and meet E.J. Later, Bo finds Hope's can of mace at the pub and realizes she's been kidnapped. Patrick runs into a road block and makes Hope continue on foot. Meanwhile, E.J. gets the drop on John at the boathouse, using a device to jam the transmission to Roman.
Chelsea, Abby and Nick are at the abandoned church to see the Civil War skeleton being excavated by archeologists. Chelsea wants to know why it's taking Nick so long to find her I.M. love. Abby wishes Nick would tell Chelsea the truth, which he tries, but chickens out. Later, Chelsea leaves and Abby tells Nick he'd better tell Chelsea the truth before she finds out from someone else.
Sami and Lucas get stuck in a blizzard on their way to a ski weekend. They find an empty cabin, light a fire, and make love, renewing their romance. Later, Sami assures Lucas she never slept with E.J.
Lexie is on her way to meet Abe at the eye doctor when Tek jumps in her car and appeals to her to continue their relationship. Lexie blasts him, makes him leave. Abe shares news that his eyes are rejecting the corneal implants. His life as he knows it is over, he's going blind.
John squares off with E.J., who intends on killing him per Stefano's instructions. Roman, in a nearby surveillance van, panics when they lose radio contact. E.J. forces John at gunpoint to call Roman and tell him E.J. never showed. Roman is processing this when Bo calls with news that he's found Hope. Patrick has her in an abandoned warehouse. Roman, thinking John is safe, leaves him to provide backup for Bo. Once they're alone, E.J. taunts John by revealing the presence of a second assassin in Salem, someone who's been assigned to kill Bo and Steve. John makes a desperate play for E.J.'s gun but E.J. shoots him. As E.J. flees, Tek, who witnessed the shooting, runs to John's aid, promising to get help. Tek brings Lexie, who tends to John while they wait for an ambulance to arrive. Lexie asks Tek to leave before they're spotted together. Tek argues that he can't leave, he thinks he knows who shot John: E.J. Wells. If Lexie makes him leave, she'll have to pretend she witnessed the crime.
Patrick has taken Hope to an abandoned warehouse intent on fulfilling his obligation to E.J. He's going to kill her. Meanwhile, Bo discovers Patrick's car, gets a furtive phone call from Hope and figures out where she is. Bo arrives at the warehouse and demands Patrick release Hope. He refuses and decides to go to plan B, using Hope to escape. As Patrick and Hope start for the door, her water breaks and she goes into labor. Hope's labor-induced cries of pain alert Bo, who thinks Patrick is hurting her. He charges into the warehouse to save her.
Sami and Lucas have taken refuge in an isolated cabin when the roof collapses, pinning him under a wooden beam. Frantic Sami leaves to get help, inadvertently accepting assistance from a murderous E.J., on the lam from shooting John.
John has been shot. Lexie desperately tries to save his life, but she needs Tek to get out of there. Abe can't find out they were together. Tek takes off just before Roman and the EMTs arrive. Roman wonders what Lexie is doing there and she is forced to lie, telling him her car broke down. She saw a light and heard voices arguing. She peered through the window and saw someone shoot John. She thinks it was E.J.
John is rushed to the hospital. Devastated Marlena is there. She begs John to hold onto his life. The doctor says John will need surgery and there's a chance he won't make it. Meanwhile, E.J. holds Sami at gunpoint and demands she drive him past the police roadblock. Sami, desperate to get back to the cabin to save Lucas, has no choice but to comply. E.J. disguises himself, and they get past the cops. Sami pleads with E.J. to save Lucas. E.J. has one condition. He wants to have sex with Sami. Horrified and disgusted, Sami refuses. E.J. warns her that Lucas will die if she doesn't do what he says. Sami has no choice. E.J. rapes her and then they go back to the cabin where he uses his brute strength to lift the fallen beam off of unconscious Lucas. Sami is desperate to get him to the hospital, but E.J. refuses and takes off in the getaway car.
Bo kicks in the door of the warehouse. He finds Hope in labor and Patrick at her side. Bo calls for an ambulance and back up. Bo helps to deliver the child, a baby girl. Patrick then drops the bomb: the baby is Bo's! Bo and Hope are blown away by the news. Bo wants Patrick to incriminate E.J., but he refuses. He's not going up against the DiMeras. As Patrick is taken out in handcuffs, Bo joins Hope and their new baby girl at the hospital. Later, Marlena confronts Bo. If John dies, it will be on Bo's head!
Steve and Kayla have a celebratory dinner with Benjy and his wife, Sonia. Steve gets word about John and says he has to cut the meal short. Later, at the hospital, John sees Steve and momentarily comes back to consciousness saying: killer... killer... killer! Steve is stricken. Marlena and Kayla witness this, in shock. Benjy arrives at the hospital and hands Steve a tarot card -- the devil. When Steve looks at it, he seems to go into a trance.
